TCS Sydney Marathon Becomes One of the Seven Most Prominent Races on the Planet

Hyderabad: Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), a global leader in IT services, consulting, and business solutions, has announced that the TCS Sydney Marathon presented by ASICS has been officially recognised as an Abbott World Marathon Major (AWMM). This distinction places the TCS Sydney Marathon among the world’s most prestigious marathons. With this inclusion, TCS now sponsors five of the seven Abbott World Marathon Majors – a series that includes the iconic marathons of Berlin, Boston, Chicago, London, New York, Tokyo, and now, Sydney—further solidifying TCS’ unprecedented leadership in the global running landscape.

Wayne Larden, CEO Pont3, Race Director, TCS Sydney Marathon, said, “We set out to create history together and take the TCS Sydney Marathon to the Abbott World Marathon Majors, and now we have achieved this incredible milestone through an incredible amount of work done by the Pont3 team and the collaboration with partners like TCS, the NSW Government, Destination NSW and ASICS. Joining the Majors will create fundamental positive changes to the event and community. From significantly enhanced participation, visitation from international and interstate runners will turbo charge the economic impact of the event, we will also see significantly enhanced contributions to charities through our increased focus on fundraising."

The TCS Sydney Marathon presented by ASICS joins the list of races that marathon runners must compete in to achieve coveted recognitions and rewards, offering participants a unique opportunity to join a global network of elite runners.

Abhinav Kumar, Chief Marketing Officer at TCS, said, “This is a historic moment not just for the TCS Sydney marathon, and Australia, but for the global running community at large. This is only the second time that a race has been accorded this status since the founding of the majors in 2006, with Tokyo’s inclusion in 2013. We strongly believed in and supported Sydney’s candidature to become a Major, leading to our decision earlier this year to express this support through our title partnership. We are glad to see this dream become a reality and congratulate all our partners who worked hard on this effort. We are delighted to now be a proud partner to five of the seven most prominent races on our planet.”

TCS’ deep portfolio of marathon sponsorships spans 14 global running events across four continents, engaging over 600,000 participants annually. Through its title sponsorship of the TCS New York City Marathon, TCS London Marathon, TCS Sydney Marathon and partnership roles in Boston and Chicago marathons, TCS continues to transform the runner and spectator experience through technological innovation and community involvement, raising over $130 million in charity annually.

As an Abbott World Marathon Major, the TCS Sydney Marathon will attract top marathon runners from around the world and significantly increase participation and investment, strengthening Sydney’s reputation as a premier destination for world-class sporting events. This achievement continues the legacy of the 2000 Sydney Olympics – the birthplace of the TCS Sydney Marathon and establishes Australia as home to the only major marathon in the Southern Hemisphere.

Vikram Singh, TCS Country Head of Australia & New Zealand, said, “We are proud to have played a role in the race’s elevation to world major status. The elevation of the TCS Sydney Marathon establishes the race as the first Abbott World Major in the southern hemisphere. The recognition parallels TCS’ growth story in Australia, one of its fastest growing markets. We look forward to partnering on a global scale with the TCS Sydney Marathon to set a new standard in sustainability and in the way, technology can enhance marathons for participants and fans alike.”

In its inaugural year as title sponsor, TCS has already made significant contributions to the Sydney Marathon. The 2024 event witnessed record-breaking participation with 25,000 participants, making it the largest marathon in Australian history. The TCS Sydney Marathon also made history with record-breaking performances, including the fastest marathon times ever recorded on Australian soil.

Honouring indigenous heritage, TCS supported the appointment of a 2024 TCS Sydney Marathon Indigenous Running Ambassador, Wiradjuri woman and Indigenous Marathon Foundation (IMF) graduate, Hayley Pymont. The marathon also introduced the TCS Sydney Mini Marathon to promote youth engagement in running. TCS also partnered with the marathon organisers, and the NSW Department of Education, to encourage the next generation of runners and STEM students to develop sustainability solutions for the race, as part of the TCS Sydney Marathon goIT challenge. TCS further expanded its innovative Future Athlete Project by recruiting a group of IMF graduates to the program. This initiative is designed to uncover pioneering insights into heart health and athletic performance using digital twin technology.

TCS’ growing stature as a brand and its strong client relationships are evident in Australia. The company has a longstanding commitment of over 35 years in this market and serves as a digital partner to most of the top 10 listed companies on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX). The company has operations in five locations across the country and has also been recognized among LinkedIn’s Top 25 companies to work for and as a top employer in the region by the Top Employers Institute.